New and Noteworthy
The All-New 2014 KIA Cadenza Has Arrived at Morrie’s!
May 22nd
The all-new 2014 Kia Cadenza has just arrived here at Morrie’s and it is quite the luxurious addition to the lineup. This full size sedan is available in one trim level at a base price of $35,100. The vehicle’s standard features include keyless entry, an advanced navigation system, leather-trimmed seats with heat and power adjustment in the front, Bluetooth, an 8-inch touch screen, 12-speaker audio system and rear camera display.
This 6-speed automatic transmission is equipped with a 3.3-liter v6 engine that generates 293 horsepower and 255 lb/ft of torque and utilizes gasoline direct injection technology, which helps to improve performance and maintain fuel efficiency. The Cadenza achieves 19 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway and is sure to provide safety with 8 standard air bags.
The Cadillac ATS vs. BMW 3 Series
May 8th
The ATS is Cadillac’s first legitimate sports car to compete directly with the BMW 3 Series. It handles unlike any previous Cadillac due in part to its class leading weight, 50/50 weight distribution and multi-link suspension. When the driver is going around a sharp turn in the ATS, there is little to no roll effect at all. In fact, the ATS actually seems to handle curves better than it drives straight. The racing derived Brembo Brakes bring the ATS to a complete stop from 60 to 0 in a best in class 108 feet, besting the BMW by 5 feet.
The interior in the ATS is also a step above the BMW. With a hand cut and sewn interior, the driver is able to see every single stitch in the leather giving it a beautiful appearance. The ATS also comes in 7 different interior combinations and many standard features that BMW doesn’t even offer. Some of these include remote vehicle start, active noise cancellation, and illuminated outside door handles. The ATS also comes with Cadillac’s signature touch screen infotainment system, CUE, which is designed to look and feel like personal electronics already on the market. Different features on the infotainment system include 3-D navigation, weather updates, Pandora, and phone pairing through Bluetooth. CUE can be accessed through the touch screen, steering wheel controls, and through natural voice recognition. With the purchase of any cue equipped ATS the driver also gets a free iPad 2, loaded with applications for the CUE system that helps to give the driver a feel for the system off the road.
Nissan Launches Electric Taxi Fleet in NYC
Apr 26th
The city of New York has been taking strides to ensure their city is energy efficient and environmentally friendly. In order to do this, they have teamed up with Nissan.
This Monday, NYC Mayor, Michael Bloomberg announced that six new all-electric Nissan Leaf taxis have been added to the streets. Bloomberg says his plans “will help the city answer important questions about incorporating electric taxis into the fleet, so that we can achieve the goal of a one-third electric taxi fleet by 2020.”
The city has already installed a number of different fast charging stations throughout Manhattan so that taxi drivers can quickly recharge to almost full capacity during their shift in 30 minutes or less.
Bloomberg plans to accomplish the city’s goal of having a one-third electric taxi fleet by also implementing the “Taxi of Tomorrow” program with the Nissan NV200 vehicle. Before launching the NV200 Bloomberg first wants to pilot the use of all-electric vehicles with the Nissan Leaf. As a result, we may not see the NV200 on NYC streets for a few more years until we can see how these electric vehicles can be integrated throughout the big city.
We had the opportunity to see the NV200 Nissan Taxi of Tomorrow at this year’s New York International Auto Show and got a few up close interior shots for you.
The NV200 is fully wheelchair accessible with a fold flat ramp in the rear as well as a restraint system to keep the wheelchair in place while the taxi is moving. To accomplish this, Nissan teamed up with BraunAbility, a company that makes wheelchair accessible vans.
If you are in the market for an all-electric vehicle, head over to Morrie’s Brooklyn Park Nissan and test drive a Nissan Leaf today!
2014 Cadillac ELR
Apr 26th
The all-new 2014 Cadillac ELR luxury coupe was unveiled in production form at the 2013 North American International Auto Show. We were excited to see it also make an appearance at this year’s New York International Auto Show last month. The ELR combines style, luxury and energy efficient technologies to bring you one truly magnificent automobile. The styling of this up and coming plug-in hybrid is very similar to the Cadillac Converj concept that we saw at the 2009 North American Auto Show in Detroit.
Under the hood the vehicle is equipped with an electric motor and a small 4-cylinder turbocharged engine that serves as the backup generator for the system. The electric motor has a range of 35 miles then the engine kicks in for a maximum combined range of about 300 miles. The ELR takes about 12 hours to recharge on a standard 120-volt outlet and about 4 ½ hours using a 240-volt outlet. The turn signal indicators located on the side view mirrors also act as charge indicators when the vehicle is plugged in so you know when charging is complete.
The vehicle was built with aerodynamics in mind, which allow the vehicle to glide along the road with minimal resistance. The bottom of the front grille is equipped with active shutters that open and close depending on speed. The underbody panels and hidden door handles also help to cut down on turbulence.
The interior is stylishly designed with chrome, leather, wood, and microfiber suede accents. Most of which, come standard on the base model. The model that was displayed at the New York International Auto Show featured 2 seats in the front and 2 seats in the rear.
The vehicle also comes with Cadillac’s signature touch sensitive CUE infotainment system. 20” wheels and sweeping body lines make the outside of the ELR look sleek, stylish, and one to remember. Pricing hasn’t been announced yet on this exciting new Cadillac model, but we will be sure to update you as soon as more information becomes available. Expect to see this vehicle on showfloors later in the year.
The All-New 2014 Cadillac CTS
Apr 25th
Cadillac’s new midsize luxury sports sedan, the 2014 CTS, was unveiled at this year’s New York Auto Show. The redesign makes the vehicle noticeably lower, longer and lighter than last generation CTS. This all-new vehicle is packed with technology including the signature Cadillac CUE system, an 8inch color touch screen and a 12.3 inch gauge cluster in the center stack.
You can choose from three different engine options under the hood. A 2.0 liter 4 cylinder direct injection turbocharged engine that achieves 272 horsepower or a 3.6-liter direct injection with 321 horsepower, both connected to 6 speed automatic transmission with magnesium paddles for shifting.
The third option is the V Sport model equipped with a 3.6-liter twin turbocharged engine with 420 horsepower and an 8-speed automatic transmission. We will announce pricing information and arrival dates as soon as they become available.
Highlights from the 2013 New York Auto Show
Apr 2nd
This year we were lucky enough to get a sneak peek at all the latest model debuts during press week at the 113th annual New York Auto Show. The show featured over 1,000 vehicles in a 900,000 square foot arena. From the unveiling of the Subaru WRX concept, to the roll out of 3 new Kia models, none of the brands left us disappointed. We are very excited to share this exclusive coverage with you and give you a little bit of insight into what goes on at one of the Nation’s largest auto shows.
2013 New York Auto Show – First Look
Mar 28th
We spent the last two days exploring everything that the New York Auto Show had to offer and we must say that there was a lot to see. Between press conferences, new vehicle debuts and industry award presentations, we were kept quite busy. We’re currently working on a library of 2013 New York Auto Show videos that we’ll get posted shortly, but in the meantime we hope our photo gallery tides you over. Be sure to take a look at some of the notable New York debuts, including the Bentley Flying Spur, Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid, Subaru WRX Concept, Kia Soul, Kia Forte Koup, Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, Porsche GT3, Hyundai Equus plus many more.
The Cadillac User Experience [CUE]
Feb 4th
2012 was a very busy year for the Cadillac brand. Not only did they introduce two new models, the ATS and the XTS, they also introduced their breakthrough touch screen infotainment system, CUE. The Cadillac User Experience, CUE, is currently available on the XTS, ATS and the SRX.
The CUE system has an intuitive learning process which is designed to mimic the look and feel of personal electronics that are already on the market. With the purchase of select Cadillac ATS and XTS models, consumers will also receive an iPad3 that comes preloaded with the CUE system app. This helps users to become more familiar with the system before utilizing it on the road.
While driving, the CUE system displays a very simple screen with a select number of icons. When your hand gets closer to the CUE screen, the home menu will automatically pop up. This proximity sensing setting is an auto-industry first. Every time your finger touches the CUE screen you’ll feel a soft pulsing to confirm that you have selected one of the icons, this is designed to help the driver focus more on the road, and less on the screen.
Morrie’s Visits the 2013 Detroit Auto Show
Jan 18th
This week Morrie’s had the opportunity to attend the 2013 North American International Auto in Detroit. The show was marked by a number of vehicle debuts from domestic and overseas automakers. While C7 Corvette was the show’s media darling, Ford literarily dropped a big one on attendees with the unexpected display of their F150 Atlas Concept Vehicle. Other notable concept vehicles included the Hyundai HCD-14 Genesis Concept, Nissan Resonance SUV concept, Lincoln MKC Concept, BMW 4 Series Coupe Concept, Toyota Corolla Furia concept, Acura NSX concept plus a few others. These concept vehicles all provide clues, some more accurate than others, as to how future production models might look. The production vehicle debuts were equally impressive, illustrating what will actually see on the roads in the near future. These included the 2014 Maserati Quattroporte, Audi RS7, Shelby Focus ST, Kia Cadenza, Nissan Versa Note, Cadillac ELR, Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible and C7 Corvette.
Please read along as we elaborate more fully on some of the more noteworthy vehicles that fall within Morrie’s portfolio of brands. Also be sure to check our YouTube and Facebook pages soon to see videos we put together for each vehicle highlighted below.
A few words from Alex Bellus
Jan 3rd
Photographer & proud owner of a 2013 Subaru WRX
It seems like it was just yesterday that I bought my ’94 Miata. I thoroughly enjoyed driving the little Miata, driving it all over the Midwest and wringing out everything the chassis and engine had whenever I could. As much as I loved the car, it was taken away from me in September when a woman driving a 2012 VW Jetta ran a stop sign and t-boned my car right in the driver’s side door.
Luckily, I wasn’t injured aside from a few cuts and bruises but the car was a total loss. After sorting things out with insurance, I decided that this time around I’d get something a little more practical and comfortable to use as a daily driver and to carry around all of my camera gear. With the money I got from insurance, I had enough to cover about half the cost of something used that might fit what I was looking for, or I could use the money as a down payment on something newer. I decided that if I was going to be taking on debt to own a better daily driver, I should try to get something that fit as many of my needs as possible.
